Voting-machine.



7. 0 9 1 5 2 E N U J D E mi N E mL A P am 1I P SH EG LA GG lm Aww V 0.nu oo 7 5 oo 0l N P I AT 0 A PL O I N FILED AUG 17 1898 a SHEETS SHBBT Lwat mlm SSR@ .E Attol rmyS PATENTED JUNE 25, 19074 A.. J. GILLESPIEVOTING MACHINE APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 17. 1898.

3 SHBETS-SHBET 2.

Invntor.

s. G S S e n +L w /Q/ Attorney THE Nomus PE1-:Rs co., iusnmm'an, n. c.

PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

A. J. GILLESPIE. VOTING MACHINE.

ArPLIoATIoN FILED mm1?. 189B.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Witnesses Inventor.

f5 M M761@ vaAttorney co., wAsHlNsroN. n4 c.

vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J. GILLESPIE, OF ROCHESTER, N *YW Yoan, .issie-Non, er MasivaASSIGNMENTS, TO U. S. STANDARD VOTING MACHINE OO., OF ROCHES- TER, NEWYORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VOTINC-lv-IVIACI-JHNEu Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed August 17,1898. Serial N0- 688,802.

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. GILLES- PIE, of Rochester, in the countyof Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Voting- Machines and I do hereby declare the 'followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, 'forming a part of this specification,and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to voting machines and has for its objectto improve the construction and operation of the mechanism for votingfor candidates which have been indorsed by several political parties andparticularly of the multicandid ate voting devices, whereby, when thesame person or candidate is indorsed by two or more parties for an'oilice to which only one or a plurality of candidates are to be elected,the voter is prevented ;trom casting more than one ballot for saidcandidate and at the same time is permitted to exercise his choice incasting ballots for the whole number permitted, and to this end, theinvention consists in certain improvements hereinafter described, thenovel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

In the drawings: Figure l is a front view of a portion of the ticketsupport or plate constituting the front of the voting machine, with apart of the casing broken away to show the interlocking devices betweenthe ballot indicators. Fig. 2, a' perspective view, looking from therear of the machine, of the registering devices at the rear of thesupport for the indicators, showing also an embodiment oi' my presentinvention applied thereto. Fig. 3, a vertical-sectional view oi aportion of a voting machine, showing the register-operating devices.Eig. 4, a sectional view partly in elevation, taken on the line -fc ofFig. 3.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similarparts.

I have shown my invention applied to a voting machine of the generaltype contained in my prior patent No. 576,570, and my pendingapplication Serial No. 658,938, '[iled November 18th, 1897, and willfirst describe,

generally, the operation of this type of machine, although l make noclaim herein to the registering mechanism, or the means 'for operatingit, or to the interlocking mechanism, generally, or the construction ofthe indicators or registers, excepting as connected with the particularimprovements hereinafter described.

l indicates the main casing oi the machine having at the front the plateor ballot-support 2 on the iront oi' which the tickets containing thecandidates naines are placed. The ballot indicators embody studs 3journaled in the iront plate 2 having at their front a pointer d,adapted normally to extend between the columns of the tickets, as shownin Eig. l, but capable ol` being placed over the name o the candidate towhich the indicator is devoted, and to the rear sides of the studs aresecured plates or arms 5, each having a shoulder 6' and a tongue orprojection 7, as shown in Fig. 2, said tongues projecting in slots Sformed in register actuators 9. The arms 5 oiA the indicators areconnected to suitable interlocking devices, and in the presentembodiment to straps or rods 10 extending to near one end ol' the casingand having upon their outer ends enlargements or thickened portions Iladapted to move between guides 12, and in some instances betweenseparating or sliding blocks I3 located between said guides.

14 indicates stationary blocks or stops between which all ol' thesliding blocks 13 and. the straps or rods l0 pass the space between saidblocks i4, being sufficient to permit between them only a predeterminednumber of the thickened ends Il of the straps or rods, so that onlya'certain number ol: the ballot indicators may be operated.

In Eig. l, I have shown what is known as a multicandidate group, whereinthe tickets for the various parties represented at the election arearranged in vertical columns and the office lines are arrangedhorizontally, the machine, as shown, being set so that the voter isentitled to cast a ballot for any two candidates out of the eight whosenames are presented. The space between the blocks 14 is so arranged thatany two o' the indicator pointers may be moved over the candi- IOC datesname to indicate a vote, but not more. Of course, this number could beincreased by spacing the blocks 14 dil'l`erently, and providing agreater number of horizontal lines, it desired.

is in my prior application, the registers with which the indicatorscooperate are arranged in suitable casings 15 rigidly attached to amovable frame 16 said casings in the present instance each embodyingseveral series ol) registering wheels constituting registers devoted tocandidates in the same vertical column, the iigures on the registersbeing visible through apertures 17 formed in said casings, as shown inFig. 2. Each of the registers preferably embodies a units wheel 18 towhich is connected a pallet wheel 19 adapted to be operated by lugs orteeth 20 arranged upon the actuating slide 9, one slide being providedfor each register, and suitable connecting mechanism being emplo yedbetween the units, tens and hundreds wheels, as will be understood. Theparts of the indicating and registering devices are so connectezfl andarranged that when one of the indicating lingers or pointers l is movedover the candidates name, the shoulder 6 of the indicator is brought inline with the end of the register actuator 9, as shown at the right inFig. 1, and when the frame 16 and iront plate are moved relativelytoward each other, the registers of the actuators, which have beenmoved, will be operated to indicate one vote for the candidate, and whenthe trame and plate are separated again the actuators will be returnedto normal position. is a means for causing the torward and backwardmovement ot the frame 16 l provide cams 21 arranged upon a shaft 22journaled in the main frame or casing and having an operating lever 23and handle 24, as sl'iown in Figs. 3 and 4, said cams cooperating withsuitable projections on the lrame 16, but as these torni no part of mypresent invention l do not deem it necessary to illustrate them morefully herein.

lt ifrecpiently happens that the same candidate is indorsed by two ormore political parties, and when such indorsed candidate is running foran oflice Vlor which each party has nominated a plurality of candidates,unless some means were provided tor preventing it, a voter might beable, by the operation el ballot indicators in two ditlerent partycolumns, to cast two votes for a candidate indorsed by two dillerentparties, and to prevent this l provide a means for connecting all ol tle voting devices of the candidates so indorsed, whereby it is immaterialin which ol the party columns the vote is indicated, or whether or nottwo or more indicators devoted to him are operated, only one vote willbe registered for that candidate.

Y est/,soo

In applying the invention to a machine o'll the type shown .l provide,upon the rear portion or' the frame 16 carrying the registering devices,a rock-shaft S0 journaled at the ends in suitable brackets 31 secured byclamping screws 32 to the sides ol' said trame, and provide detachableconnecting arms upon said rock-shaft adapted to be connected to theactuators 9 of the registers devoted tc the candidate whose name appearsin. two party columns. ln the present construction, these arms arecomposed o'll a single piece ol' material, as wire, bent to l'orm thetwo parallel legs 38 and 34- connected by the portion 35 and passingthrough apertures lormcd in the, shaft. The leg 34 is extended andprovided at the end with a laterally extending portion 36 adapted,whendesired, to project into a small aperture Al'ormed in the ends ot theregister-actuators 9, as shown particularly in Fig. 2, the constructionbeing such that when one ol the indicators `1 has been operated to bringthe shoulder 6 in line with the actuator 9 and the frame 16 and plate 2are moved relatively toward each other, both or all ol' the actuatorswhich have been connected by the rock-shalt 30, will be operated toregister a vote or ballot upon each el' the counters d evoted to thesame candidate. Then the frame 16 is moved back to its normal position,shown in full lines in Fig. 2, as the actuator ci the register isengaged by the linger T on the indicator, the operated actuators willall be returned to normal position.

1n Fig. 1 of the drawings, have shown the name o'l Il B. Roe asappearing in both the republican and labor party columns, and theindicator in the republican column as having been operated. In then'iulticandidate group shown, the interlocking mechanism lormed by theblocks will permit the indication ol another vote in either ot the twolines shown, so that while the two register for the same candidate willbe operated, only one indicator is operated and the interlocking deviceshave only been operated one unit. The relative movements ol the `lraine16 and plate 2, when the voter leaves the booth, is shown in dottedlines in F 2.

As far as the broad feature ol' my invention is concerned it isimn'iaterial what lorm el registers, actuators or operating n'ieans areemployed, and the machine shown simply regarded as one and the bestexenipli'lication oll my invention, but l do not desire to be coniinedto precisely this arrangement. Nor is it necessary that the cimnectingmeans between the register-actuators be a rockshaft, although I pre'l'erthis construction lor obvious reasons. The arrangement ol' theoscillating sha'l't and the arms dctachably connecting it with theregisters, as shown, is advantageous for the reason that the ma- ICOchine can be quickly adapted for any election, and, if a multicandidategro up is i'ormed embodying more than two candidates nominated by eachparty, several connecting means could be employed, the only necessaryleature of the present construction being that the candidates nameshould appear in the same row in the type of machine shown but I do notdesire to be confined to such an arrangement, or to this type ofmachine, as the invention is applicable to other kinds.

ln lieu of the interlocking devices shown, any other l'orm could beemployed which would permit only a predetermined number of indicators tobe operated, or registers to be operated, if thc invention is applied tothe well-known type of machine in which the registers are actuateddirectly by the voter.

It desired, the connecting device, embodying the rock-shaft, etc., couldbe used outside of multicandidate groups whenever the same person isnominated or indorsed by two or more parties, in which event theactuation of one indicator in either party line will cause theregistration of a vote on all of the counters devoted to him, and thisis advisable both in ordinary and multicandidate groups, as it does notrequire that the totals on two or more registers be added'in order toindicate the total number of votes cast 'for a candidate,` as all ci'the registers will indicate the same amount, and the total from any ofthem will indicate the total number of ballots cast for the candidate,

lt will be understood that my invention, broadly considered, isapplicable to any form of voting machine whether the connection is madebetween indicators, which. do not, when operated by the voter, registerthe ballot; or between indicators, which directly operate theregistering devices.

The term registen when used in the claims is intended to mean (unlessotherwise limited) any form of mechanism which will make a record ofsuccessive operations, whether by perlforating paper, moving tapes orwheels, dropping balls, or otherwise, these devices having been employedin this art.

l claim. as my invention:

l. In a voting machine, the combination with a support or plate, and aplurality of movable ballot indicators thereon, of a plurality ofregistering devices corresponding to the indicators, a support for theregistering devices movable relatively to the indicator support toactuate the registering devices whose indicators have been operated, andconnections mounted upon the register support and extending between twoor more of the registering devices for causing their simultaneousoperation when the indicators otl either have been actuated.

2. ln a voting machine, the combinationol' a series oi' ballotindicators, a series ol' registers controlled thereby, interlockingdevices between the indicators for preventing the operation of more thana predetermined number, means for causing the simultaneous relativemovements o'l' all of the registers and their indicators to actuate theregisters oit the operated indicators, and connections be'- tween two ormore of the registers to cause their simultaneous actua-tion by therelative movement of the indicators and registers aforesaid, when theindicator of either is operated.

3. ln a voting machine, the combination with the support, a series otballot indicators thereon independently adjustable to voting position,and interlocking devices for preventing the operation of more than apredetermined number, of the movable frame, a series of registersthereon corresponding to the indicators, each having an actuating memberarranged to cooperate with an indicator when the latter is operated, andpositive connections between two or more of the register actuatingmembers lor causing their positive operation.

Ll. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of registers,each having an actuating member of an independently journaledrock-'shaft having the arms thereon adapted to connect positively withthe actuatii'ig members of the registers to cause the simultaneousoperation of two or more when any one of the actuators is operated.

5. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of registers, eachhaving an actuating member, of a rock-shaft having independentlyadjustable arms thereon adapted to be connected with the registeractuating members to couple two or more for simultaneous operation.

G. ln a voting machine, the combination with a register frame, and aseries of registers thereon` each having movable actuating members, ofthe brackets removably secured to the frame, the rock-shaft journaled onthe brackets, and the adjustable arms adapted to be connected to theregister actuators to couple two or more for simultaneous operation. v

7. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of registers, eachhaving an actuating member, of a rock-shaft, a series of arms thereoncorresponding to the register actuators adjustable radially oi' theshaft and adapted to be connected to the register actuators.

8. In a voting machine, the combination with a series of registers, eachhaving an actuating member, of the rock-shaft having the apertures, andthe arms having the parallel portions passing through the shaft andadapted to be connected to the register actuators.

lOO

IIO

9. As an attachment for Voting machines, I rality of staple shaped armsmovable 1'aa shalt having journals at the ends and a plu- (lially Ot theshaft each 0l said arms having a ra'lity of radially extensible armsmounted on hook on its end.

said shaft having engaging hooks on their ALFRED J. GILLESPIE. 5 ends.Witnesses:

l0. As an attachment for Voting` machines J. E. GILLEsPlE,

a shaft havingjournals at the ends and a plu- H. V. MCGREGOR.

